Title: Imagining the Future Human: The X-MEN PROJECT
Lesson Overview
This lesson is meant to get students thinking about human evolution as an ongoing process. Students will watch a video of a TED Talk given by medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg, in which he talks about the future of human evolution. Then, students will brainstorm as a class to come up with a list of possible events or selective pressures that could influence the future of humans, and using this list of selective pressures, pairs of students will come up with an artistic rendering of what the future human being might look like. Each pair will present their project to the class and will be graded on a rubric provided.
Objectives
The student will recognize evolution as a force that affects all organisms, including human beings. The student will predict the adaptations that occur as a result of certain selective pressures on the human population of the future. The student will recognize evolution as an ongoing process.
Materials
Science Journals Student Instruction Sheet and Rubric (for X-Men assessment) Arts materials (pens, crayons, paper, scissors, etc.)
Keeping a close eye on students as they work on their projects would be prudent. Some may choose to use scissors or other sharp objects to cut or sculpt their project.
Instruction
Opening
The class will begin with a science journal entry while attendance is taken and preparations are made. The prompt will read: "Are humans finished evolving? Why or why not?" Students will spend a few minutes writing in their journals, and then a short discussion of the prompt will begin (no more than 5-7 minutes). Then the students will watch a TED Talk given by Harvey Fineberg on the future of human evolution.
Learning Activities
After the video concludes, a whole-class brainstorming session will begin. The instructor will ask students to come up with events or conditions that would serve as selective pressures for humans hundreds of years in the future. The instructor will write this list on the board.
At this point, the instructor will introduce the assessment called "The X-MEN PROJECT", in which students will use at least two of the pressures from the brainstorming session to predict possible evolved adaptations that human populations might exhibit as a result of those pressures. A project instruction sheet along with a sample rubric will be distributed to each student, and the instructor will go over the instructions on the sheet before breaking the students into pairs.
The idea behind the X-MEN PROJECT is that the students will create an artistic representation of a future human. This human must exhibit adaptations to successfully cope with at least three (3) of the selective pressures brainstormed by the class. This representation could be a poster, a 3D sculpture, a computer rendering, etc. Students will use the remaining class time, plus class time from the next full period, to work on their project.
Closing
After this allotted time, there will be a presentation of the work done in a gallery style. Students will set up their projects around the room, and students and the instructor will move from project to project during the class period. The student pairs will explain their future human to the class and justify the presence of the adaptations they thought might be selected by each of the three pressures they have chosen. The instructor will then grade each one using the rubric provided.
Assessment
The instructor will be observing students while they complete their projects in class, asking probing questions to check for understanding. Once the projects are completed, the instructor will grade them based on the rubric provided (see Student Instruction Sheet and Rubric under the Materials Section)
Homework
If the allotted time in class does not allow for the pairs to complete their X-Men Projects, the students will work on them for homework.
Unit: Human Evolution
Title: Imagining the Future Human: The X-MEN PROJECT
Lesson Overview
This lesson is meant to get students thinking about human evolution as an ongoing process. Students will watch a video of a TED Talk given by medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg, in which he talks about the future of human evolution. Then, students will brainstorm as a class to come up with a list of possible events or selective pressures that could influence the future of humans, and using this list of selective pressures, pairs of students will come up with an artistic rendering of what the future human being might look like. Each pair will present their project to the class and will be graded on a rubric provided.Objectives
The student will recognize evolution as a force that affects all organisms, including human beings.The student will predict the adaptations that occur as a result of certain selective pressures on the human population of the future.
The student will recognize evolution as an ongoing process.
Materials
Science JournalsStudent Instruction Sheet and Rubric (for X-Men assessment)
Arts materials (pens, crayons, paper, scissors, etc.)
Links to Resources
Harvey Fineberg TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/harvey_fineberg_are_we_ready_for_neo_evolution.htmlStudent Instruction Sheet and Rubric
Safety Issues
Keeping a close eye on students as they work on their projects would be prudent. Some may choose to use scissors or other sharp objects to cut or sculpt their project.Instruction
Opening
The class will begin with a science journal entry while attendance is taken and preparations are made. The prompt will read: "Are humans finished evolving? Why or why not?" Students will spend a few minutes writing in their journals, and then a short discussion of the prompt will begin (no more than 5-7 minutes). Then the students will watch a TED Talk given by Harvey Fineberg on the future of human evolution.
Learning Activities
After the video concludes, a whole-class brainstorming session will begin. The instructor will ask students to come up with events or conditions that would serve as selective pressures for humans hundreds of years in the future. The instructor will write this list on the board.
At this point, the instructor will introduce the assessment called "The X-MEN PROJECT", in which students will use at least two of the pressures from the brainstorming session to predict possible evolved adaptations that human populations might exhibit as a result of those pressures. A project instruction sheet along with a sample rubric will be distributed to each student, and the instructor will go over the instructions on the sheet before breaking the students into pairs.
The idea behind the X-MEN PROJECT is that the students will create an artistic representation of a future human. This human must exhibit adaptations to successfully cope with at least three (3) of the selective pressures brainstormed by the class. This representation could be a poster, a 3D sculpture, a computer rendering, etc. Students will use the remaining class time, plus class time from the next full period, to work on their project.
Closing
After this allotted time, there will be a presentation of the work done in a gallery style. Students will set up their projects around the room, and students and the instructor will move from project to project during the class period. The student pairs will explain their future human to the class and justify the presence of the adaptations they thought might be selected by each of the three pressures they have chosen. The instructor will then grade each one using the rubric provided.
Assessment
The instructor will be observing students while they complete their projects in class, asking probing questions to check for understanding. Once the projects are completed, the instructor will grade them based on the rubric provided (see Student Instruction Sheet and Rubric under the Materials Section)
Homework
If the allotted time in class does not allow for the pairs to complete their X-Men Projects, the students will work on them for homework.
Additional Notes
None.Unit Home Page